Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Film Review: End Call (2008)

If
you video call the forbidden number at midnight, the Devil will grant
your wish. But, he'll also have control of your life for the duration of
the phone call. A group of high school students begin calling to make
wishes - some to escape misery and others to capture love. However,
there wishes don't turn out the way they wanted, and some wishes
conflict with each other...

End Call is a haunted technology
horror film, like Ringu and Pulse. The video calls are very basic - the
screen simply turns black as they make their wish - which is
disappointing. The outcome of some of their wishes are often disturbing,
though; in fact, the first death (?) was cringe-worthy. The somewhat
promising introduction is soiled when the film starts to inconsistently
jump from time to time. This nonlinear storytelling is very confusing
and ineffective. For example: a scene may start in the present, show a
time screen stating "1 month earlier" for the next scene, then that
scene will end with a fade into a scene with a specific date. So, it
uses both 1 week/month earlier time cards, and specific dates, which
makes it hard to distinguish between the present and past. It comes off
as very, very sloppy.

The rest of the film after the beginning
follows this storytelling method. Since it's so confusing, I spent more
time focusing on the time and dates than the actual story. That's not a
problem since the story is uneventful and repetitive; the story is very
forgettable, although the concept is interesting. It does have a dark
atmosphere, but the suspense and terror is absent - I wasn't scared.
There are some effectively disturbing scenes, though; there are
effective scenes, like a scene involving a blender and another involving
a mistaken toothbrush. The ending of the film, if I understood it
correctly, was sinister - I liked it, even as the third act dragged on
and on.

The acting was okay. Most of the acting comes off as
believable. However, there are some scenes where the cast display
frustration but fail to nail it; the frustration comes off as very fake
and forced. I like the music in this film, it has a unique horror sound.
The bleak style works for the film, and creates a dark atmosphere. The
editing and storytelling is sloppy and ineffective.

Overall, End
Call has a great concept, a few disturbing scenes, and a dark ending.
However, the storytelling is absolutely horrid, the terror is almost
nonexistent, and the story is uneventful and forgettable. I recommend
streaming as part of a membership program like Netflix, before paying
directly to watch End Call.